Amquil is an excellent Dechlorinator Chloramines (Chlorine & Ammonia Remover) Common in Tap Water! RE: Chlorine, Chloramines, and Water Changes Chlorine: Chlorine (Cl) measured in parts per million (ppm) is a gas which has been added to tap water to control harmful bacteria. City provided tap water has been found to have from 0.5 to 3.0 ppm, but higher surges are sometimes observed. During the Summertime and Hot Seasons, your local city water will increase the amount of Chloramines in your common tap water up to 6 times and sometimes higher than during winter months. If you?re using common tap water for your aquarium or pond water changes, it?s ?Extremely Important? to add this dechlorinator year around and a good idea even for those with automatic waterfill kits to save inevitable fish death! This is probably the number one killer of fish when not used and is a must have for either aquarium hobbyist or pond keeper. Chlorine is a quick killer of all fish and livestock in small amounts (less than 0.5 ppm). Even in very small concentrations, chlorine burns the edges of their gills and causes long term ill effects. Chlorine is deadly to biological converter bacteria. Do not use tap water to clean your biological converter media unless you reseed your filter system with a good Water Bacteria and Enzyme booster and reseeder such as Aquaclearer for ponds or Nitromax for Aquariums. Otherwise, It will kill the good bacteria. Use either pond water of water that has been de-chlorinated if these items are not available to you. An open container of water (such as a pond or aquarium) will lose approximately 1/4 of its chlorine per day to the air. Hoter days may expedite this. Remember, chlorine is a gas and it gradually dissipates to the atmosphere from the water. Using this reasoning, a newly filled pond or aquarium will lose its chlorine in 4 to 5 days after filling. If you are making a water change or adding make up water to your pond, you do not have the luxury of waiting 5 days before the fish are exposed to the chlorine. That?s where a good DeChlorinator endorsed to be of quality should be used and is all that is used by Oceanpro Aquatics, Inc. Professional Service Division. Treatment is simple but very essential. Owners should have de-chlorinator on hand at all times for water changes and for emergencies. De-chlorinator can be purchased at most pet and fish supply stores for about $20.95 per quart or more MSRP. When treating ponds or aquariums after a water change, treat it only for the number of gallons you add, not the entire pond or aquarium volume. Adding too much de-chlorinator is not detrimental to the fish. Adding too little may not get the job done. Add the de-chlorinator to your pond or aquarium before adding tap water. There are several test kits on the market for testing chlorine levels. Chemical droplet and pill test kits are available. The recommended test kit range is 0 to 4 ppm. If de-chlorinator is used religiously when adding water, a test is not considered a necessity. Chloramine: Chloramine is a compound of chlorine and ammonia that is added to most city tap water especially in the United States to kill harmful bacteria. When chloramines laden tap water is added to a pond, it adds both chlorine and free ammonia to the water. Adding de-chlorinator will remove the chlorine, but not the ammonia. A good efficient bio converter will remove the ammonia in short time. Do not add water with chloramine to a pond that is already showing a concentration of ammonia. This will raise the ammonia level, possibly to a toxic level for your fish. If you have chloramine in your tap water and water is added to your pond or aquarium, the accepted remedies are products called Amquil and Novaqua. These products eliminate chlorine and turns toxic ammonia into a non-toxic ammonia, which is not harmful to fish. Since it does not eliminate the ammonia, testing of the pond water will show positive for ammonia. Water Changes: Partial water changes can reduce the amount of anything dissolved in your aquarium or pond water, but not remove it entirely. Although it is sometimes necessary, draining the pond or aquarium entirely or anything more than 50% and refilling should only be done as a last resort or by a professional service technician. Remember, water changes reduce the ?good stuff? in the pond as well as the ?bad stuff?. Pond water is swarming with microscopic bacteria. The good bacteria are necessary for a healthy pond, so we don?t want to get rid of it all through a total water change unless you plan on replenishing it. It is considered beneficial to make a 10% - 25% water change weekly in any size aquarium or pond holding facility. Why do we need to make water changes? Many components build up in the water over time, and this is the only way to reduce them. Experienced fish keepers know that their fish are healthier and stronger when regular water changes are made. Any water added due to removal of water in the process of back flushing pond and water filters is considered a part of the water change. For Ponds using Sand Filters, a Sand Filter should receive a 100% R&R preferably twice but no less than once a month! Sand should be replaced with Oceanpro pond bio-rock or similar pond media! Also, the aforementioned items above reseeding the beneficial bacteria, enzyme and missing trace elements and vitamins to aid in the health of your fish as well as the expedited regrowth of your beneficial bacterium and enzyme. Doing this will quickly and effectively maintain the water quality and clarity of the water. When adding make up water for a water change, don?t forget to add de-chlorinator prior to adding tap water to the pond or aquarium. When adding water from a hose, spray the water on the surface of the pond. This will add oxygen to the water while filling. Don?t fill the pond with the hose in the bottom. This only stirs up things that have settled to the bottom. Don?t forget to turn off the water. You don?t want your pond to run over. Remember, tap water contains little or no oxygen. Aeration of the tap water added to the pond is recommended, especially if the water change is 50% or greater. If you have any questions regarding this product, contact us direct (800)722-0421
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